Month: August 2009

You know, there are certain things that happen, albeit small things, that can cause a person to obsess over. Mine happened a few days ago at work. As I sit here at my favorite coffeehouse hangout, good friend sitting in front of me oblivious to the impending lapse in judgement I’m about to have, as I’m drinking my blended iced chai, giggling over this topic. It’s just absolutely unbelievable, and I feared that if I were to only describe it, I would be passed as a sad-sap. But, luckily for me, I brought the ole “Canon” with me and snapped a few for all to see.

As most companies are feeling the various states of economics, times can be a little tight financially and the crackdown on extraneous and unnecessary expenditures is set in motion. This brings me to the story of our hand soap in the upstairs restroom.

The metal soap dispenser had been giving us issues as of late. We couldn’t pump the darn soap without the spout literally falling off. What was funny was that everytime it fell off, I’d place it gently next to the sink so as to alert the powers-that-be that we needed a replacement to the cheap dispenser. Magically, after the office admin assistant visited the bathroom, the pump was back on, only to drop with a thud again if you were to look at it wrong. That seemed to be the big F-U I was waiting for. So, guess what I suggested? I suggested that it magically disappear and away it went! So, the office admin assistant (OAA or H.A.G.) proactively took it upon herself to provide us with an alternative means of lather. The first attempt was a gallon jug propped on the countertop filled with pink hand soap. Um… what?! Yeah…. As the office ladies, myself included, gathered to discuss this new “pump jug”, a plan was devised that because we couldn’t control that pink glob from just POURING out, poured out it would be with each use.

Personally, I bring my own soap. Nice foamy pump that only I use. Ahhh…. Anywho.

OAA, I guess, noticed that we had gone through a half gallon jug in the morning, and decided to fill another quart sized pump and placed it lovingly in the bathroom. Oh, by that way, she didn’t put the pump on it. Just left it sans pump. Quite sanitary, eh? For some strange reason, that too was disappearing at an alarming rate. So, she went to the next level. And thus begins the drama.

I had gotten a tad bit dusty working on a PC out in our label room and decided to make a pitstop in our restroom to wash the crud off. As I grabbed my Raspberry foam soap (ahhh…), I put the bottle down on the counter right next to where the company jug usually sat. I had to do a double take, for this is what I saw….

Wow. Seriously? She went there. All official with the hazard labels on it and EVERYTHING! Hey, you know, I felt relieved that there were no caustic chemicals in there, was not flamable, had no reactivity and posed no real health hazard (except my vomit reaction to the cheapness). As a sidenote, getting these pictures was kinda funny. My digital camera makes that clicking noise so, imagine that noise coming out of the office bathroom… hehe. Hush, you dirty minded goons! What was funnier was that I took the bottle to show another lady on the floor who happens to sit in the next cube from H.A.G. Well, H.A.G. had gotten up to visit the rest room. I can hear cupboard drawers open and close, as if she were looking for the glop. It was all too funny as I was trying to think of a way to slyly return the glop without her knowing it was me that was doing the “show and tell” around the office. Ahhh.. good times, good times!

Anywho, I did a double take again and realized she reused a dish soap bottle as demonstrated here.

I’m so glad she labelled it. I wouldn’t have known the difference! So, this got me and the safety guy talking and decided to pitch in with this idea and go a step further. After laughing hysterically over the suggestions we threw about, we thought, we could mass produce this stuff just by reusing some household items, such as the following.

I swear, we should totally get raises!

Umm…

I’m going to hell, aren’t I?

UPDATE: H.A.G. isno longer with us… NO! She’s
not dead (at least I don’t think). She
was canned. I hope you appreciate my
sensitivity on both of those statements.